Tempus (SAMPLE VERSION)
by EyePhoenix
Summary: [SAMPLE VERSION ONLY, FULL STORY TO COME AT A LATER DATE] Prince Noctis is forced to leave the Crown City as Insomia's King Regis falls mysteriously ill. Left with the powers of the old kings and the help of his three friends, Prince Noctis stumbles upon the secret of a series of bereavements that have ensnared the land of Eos


_**A/N: this is just a little something from a plot that's been playing on my mind since I listened to Ardyn's theme on the Final Fantasy XV Origional Soundtrack. I haven't quite worked out how I'm going to start the FanFiction yet, but I pretty much know the middle and ending (typical me). So I thought I'd try and post this little exert from the main story to see what you guys think - there's still a lot more to come with time being the main theme. At the moment I have 3 different endings planned at the moment with the possibility of a fourth (I'm really unsure how to go about with it, but none of the endings will affect the main story so I can adapt whenever at will).**_

 _ **Anyway, I'm waffling now, this is just a little bit from the story that doesn't really give much away so there's no need to worry about spoilers, I'd just like to see how many people would be interested.**_

 _ **Sorry**_

 _ **~Fox**_

* * *

Ignis rolled his eyes at the burly man and his blond companion as the canopy of the tent collapsed on top of the wrestling pair - they finally stopped their playful fight as movement and visibility became restricted by the tent.

"Will you two pack it in?" The sandy haired man reprimanded Prompto and Gladiolus as he watched them slowly detangle themselves from the mass of guy lines and tent.

"Sorry, Iggy." Gladiolus ruffled the hair on the back of his head sheepishly while Prompto staggered to his side with a cocky grin.

"Hey, when's dinner gonna be ready?" Prompto probed the sandy haired man in an attempt to draw Ignis's attention away from the crumpled tent. "I'm starving."

"You can put the tent back up before you even think about dinner." Ignis told the pair in a darker voice than his usual stern tone; his glasses flashed dangerously as he pushed them further up the bridge of his nose.

"R-right," Prompto began to back away towards the tent while he eyed the ladle in Ignis's hand and tugged on Gladiolus's arm, "come on, Big Guy, we've got this."

Without needing another word from Ignis, Gladiolus followed Prompto's lead - he gave the blond a playfully gentle shoved as the pair set to work and repaired the damage that they had caused.

The sandy haired man heaved a wiry sigh and massaged his forehead with his freehand while closing his eyes before he turned his attention back towards his cooking utensils - as he pivoted on the spot, his eyes were drawn towards a familiar figure who had perched himself on the edge of the camping grounds; the figure's feet dangled over the edge of the rock and the campfire illuminated enough of the young man's back for Ignis to tell that he was slightly hunched over.

With a frown, Ignis set down his ladle and approached the ebony haired prince instead.

The bespectacled advisor cleared his throat to announce his presence; startling the prince as he did so.

"Something on your mind, Noct?" Ignis asked; eying the silver pocket watch that the raven haired man had been turning over in his hand.

"It ju-" Noctis paused for a moment with a conflicted expression while Ignis arched an expected eyebrow. "It's nothing."

With another inward sigh, Ignis carefully settled himself down beside Noctis and continued to give the same expectant stare - years of experience had taught the sandy haired man that if he simply continued to wait and listen, Noctis would eventually open up and speak his mind.

"It's just a silly thought, really," Noctis muttered more to himself than to Ignis, "and I might be wrong , but… my dad's pocket watch was gold."

Ignis remained silent for a while - his anticipation switch to confusion as he tried to register what Noctis had told him.

"Gold?" He finally asked in a perplexed tone.

"I'm sure of it." Noctis gave a curt nod. "And I've never heard of Imperial before." The ebony haired prince added as he traced his thumb over the word engraved into the pocket watch. "Have you?" He turned to frown at his sandy haired companion.

"It does have an odd familiarity to it, but even I cannot place any imperial of the sort within the Citadel." Ignis admitted.

Noctis gave a slow nod at Ignis's words; he believed in Ignis's information to be accurate - there was no one that Noctis knew who could know more about the palace and the Crown City.

"It's been a long day, you shouldn't dwell on this for now." The bespectacled man placed a comforting hand on the prince's shoulder. "You need to rest, Noct."

A loud cheer stirred Noctis and Ignis's attention towards the remaining two members of their party as Gladiolus and Prompto finished reassembling the tent.

"Yes, break time!" Prompto pumped both of his fists into the air - a large mallet used to nail pegs into the ground was firmly grasped in the blond's right hand.

Gladiolus stood up and cricked his neck from side to side as he interlocked his fingers and stretched them above his head. "Now that we've finished this, ready for round two?" He shot at the blond.

"You bet." Prompto replied with a wicked grin as he gave the mallet in his hands a small wiggle.

"Absolutely not!" Ignis called out to the pair; instantly jumping to his feet and marching towards Gladiolus and Prompto - leaving Noctis to watch the scene play out in front of him with a small smirk. "Get away from that tent!"

Noctis watched as the sandy haired man tried to break up another wrestling match - but only seemed to manage to get himself dragged into it too.

"I guess you're right, Specs." The raven haired prince carefully put the silver pocket watch in the pocket of his cargo trousers. "Maybe this can wait… for now."

* * *

Gladiolus gave a low, long moan as he was stirred from his slumber by his own movements as he rolled over - he felt the smaller figure of Prompto beside him move closer and nestle into his arm before the blond settled back into his rhythmic breathing patterns.

During their first nights on the road, the four friends had found sleep almost difficult to come by due to the lack of room and the constant crossing over of limbs within the tent, but since then, the four men had found a comfortable sleeping routine; Prompto would always sleep closest to Gladiolus as the blond's tendency to play games on his mobile phone and constant fidgeting throughout the night didn't seem to bother the muscular man, and Prompto was quite a heavy sleeper so Gladiolus's deep breathing never woke the blond.

Gladiolus's ear began to prick up as he heard a rustling noise from his other side and a low murmur of a lone voice; he subconsciously moved his arm above his head where he felt out for the handle of his great sword - readying himself to swing it at a second's notice. He lifted his eyelids a few millimetres; the embers of the fire gave a dull glow from outside the tent but no silhouettes had be cast onto the canopy - with a puzzled frown, the muscular man strained his ears to listen to the voice closely.

"I'm here, Noct." The voice spoke in a hushed, comforting tone. "I'm right here beside you, I've always got your back -"

Gladiolus relaxed his grip of the great sword as he realised that the voice belonged to Ignis rather than an approaching enemy.

This was another sleeping arrangement that had been silently agreed by the four friends; Noctis would sleep in between Gladiolus and Ignis as a safety precaution in the event of an ambush while they slept. Ignis would always sleep the closest to Noctis; this was more of a comfort to the prince as his bespectacled advisor was a light sleeper and would always wake up when Noctis began to have a nightmare - Ignis would then soothe the ebony haired prince until his dreams had come to pass; the nightmares became more and more frequent since the group had left the Crown City.

Gladiolus brought his hand down to rest on his stomach with a heavy feeling in his chest while he stared up at the interior of the tent and listened as Ignis's voice continued to murmur comfort into Noctis's ear and a light drum of rain began to patter against the tent.


End file.
